Prologue
Today is the day I can finally see my daughter for the first time in nearly ten years. I'm excited… but worried that she probably hates me for being so selfish. That's how I ended up in the slammer for all this time.
They've arranged for her to visit me privately. But only if I'm kept behind a visiting cell with my hands are cuffed in front of me… which they are. I'm just glad the sleeves on my orange uniform are short enough to show the tattoos I've gotten to blend in. It'll be a powerful reminder of how immoral I used to be.
My name is Ariel - or as I'm known in this world, Ariella. I've also earned several prison nicknames.
You're probably wondering why I'm different among inmates. Well… ludicrous as it may be, I come from a world where I was once a mermaid with a fascination for humans. My father, however, disliked them. Eventually, I ran away and was offered a chance to be with mankind. The offerer was a sea witch named Ursula, and she was known to be very shady. I took a chance and that marked my first day I could be around Eric - a young man I had rescued a few nights back. He didn't remember me though… On the dusk of the second day, we were about to kiss, which would liberate me from Ursula. I came so close to kissing him and the boat just tipped over. Suddenly everything blacked out
When I came to, the air felt rather warm. I looked up and saw that I was lying five inches from a fire. Standing next to it was a woman who had dark skin and wore some unusual garment around her body: the garment was orange and seemed to combine pants with a shirt that had short sleeves.
"Who are you?" I asked, amazed to see such a garment.
"My name's Bella," replied the woman in an apparent sassy voice. "And I'm a help you out."
I was confused. "I thought I was getting plenty of-"
"Oh, Eric's off the record, girl. I meant help you learn what you need to know…" She approached me holding something. "…before you are transported to California."
I had never heard of California, and that meant it could be far away from Eric's castle.
"Now, you don't need to worry about Ursula once you kiss this coal."
"Coal! Wouldn't that burn me?" I exclaimed.
"Don't worry, cupcake. I promise you'll live." Bella seemed reassuring, and much more honest than Ursula. So I complied…